No police presence as El-Zakzaky protesters shut down Wuse Market in Abuja

The popular Wuse Market in Abuja was on Tuesday shut down by members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) who trooped out in their numbers to protest the continued detention of their leader, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky.

The protesters, who demanded the release of El-Zakzaky, were seen marching round Wuse Market disrupting traffic and economic activities with no police presence.

Motorists plying the route were held in traffic for hours. Some motorists had to take alternate routes to get to their destination.

BusinessDay recalls that past protests embarked by the group were disrupted by police.

But since hoodlums hijacked the #EndSARS protest and caused untold havoc across the country, police seem to have withdrawn their services.

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Carrying posters and placards of Ibrahim El-Zakzaky and other members of IMN killed during the protest, the group marched round the market demanding the release of their leaders.

The protesters, comprising both young and old, marched orderly clad in white and black overalls.

It was learnt that most of the protesters gathered at a point all the way from Masaka, Mararaba and Suleja in Nasarawa and Niger States before proceeding with the protest.

The group has continued to protest across Nigeria since the arrest and detention of El-Zakzaky in December 2016, after a bloody clash between his followers and the Nigerian Army in Zaria, Kaduna State.

They have continued to protest in Abuja and other parts of the country over El-Zakzaky’s continued incarceration, despite policemen using teargas to disperse them.

Abdullahi Musa, the spokesperson for IMN, had maintained that the movement would not be deterred in the demand for justice irrespective of the intimidation by the police.

All attempts to get the reaction of Mariam Yusuf, the FCT public relations officer, through calls and messages were not successful.